Highlights of the year to come

by Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer

Dear neighbors,

Goodbye 2017, and hello 2018! Here are some of the highlights of what’s to come.

In the District

Dog park renovations: 

We had a fantastic community meeting in December with Rec. and Park and many

resident dog owners, who are helping to guide the planning process for renovations to

the Fulton Street and 38th Avenue dog park – and it’s not too late to get involved!

Please take the time to fill out the survey at http://bit.ly/2DTqEUi.  Many thanks to

Assemblymember Phil Ting for the funding to make this a reality;

Disaster preparedness:

March will be the first District 1 Disaster Preparedness Month! I am working closely

with the Department of Emergency Management to roll out a month of activities,

ensuring residents are aware of how to prepare for emergencies and how to sign up for

a disaster alert text messaging service.  In March, we’ll make sure our collective

community is safe and cared for;

Homelessness: 

Homelessness has become increasingly visible in the Richmond District, and I

appreciate the thoughtful e-mails that I have received from concerned residents.

During this season, I, like many of you, have been most worried about single

elders who are sleeping outside and are vulnerable to the winter elements. While there

is no a single policy solution for such a complex issue, addressing homelessness in the

Richmond, with support from the Department of Homelessness, is a top priority for me.

Stay tuned for more on this issue;

One Richmond: 

This year we are excited to be working on the launch of our #OneRichmond initiative –

designed to build community and neighborhood unity despite language, age, ethnicity,

geography or length of time in the neighborhood.

Residents will be hearing much more about #OneRichmond in the coming weeks, and

we are excited for a launch event in the summer. Also, look for more info. on the annual

Richmond Community Health Fair and Autumn Moon Festival in the coming months.

Inside City Hall

My office is working on several legislative issues you might be interested in, including:

• Vacant storefronts hearing (Thursday, Jan. 11): There are certain Richmond storefronts

that have consistently remained vacant, creating a blight on our otherwise vibrant

commercial corridors. In response, I’ve called for a hearing on commercial vacancies

and property owner compliance, to discuss strategies for increasing compliance

with existing anti-vacancy laws and addressing this frustrating issue;

• Hearing on emergency water supply systems (TBD in January): I have been pushing

for the best, most reliable water system for the Richmond in the case of catastrophic

fires. This hearing will focus on the SF Public Utilities Commission’s long-awaited

independently reviewed report on emergency water supply systems;

• Good food purchasing hearing (Wednesday, Jan. 24): I’ve called for a hearing on the

good food purchasing policy adopted by the SF Unified School District, which prioritizes

healthy, sustainable practices for food procurement. My office has been exploring the

possibility of adopting good food purchasing standards for the City, particularly

for our hospitals and jails;

• Public municipal bank (TBD in February): This hearing will include a presentation from

a report exploring the creation of a San Francisco public bank, which could provide

financing for affordable housing developments or low-interest loans for residents and

small businesses;

• Tenant protections: With the Richmond facing such a high rate of evictions, protecting

tenants will be a priority issue for me this year. I am working on legislation to prohibit

landlords – in particular, new corporate landlords who are buying up apartment

buildings – from passing their debt service on to tenants, a practice that significantly

increases baseline rents for tenants while allowing exploitative

practices from large landlords.

Other News

Staff transitions: I am so happy to have ended my first year as District 1 supervisor with

a phenomenal team. I’d like to acknowledge Nick Pagoulatos who, as a legislative aide for

the District 1 office for the past five years, has been an incredible asset. Nick is

transitioning out of my office and we wish him well on his new adventures!

Joining our office in January is Ian Fregosi, a Richmond resident and policy wonk who

has worked on budget, tax and housing issues. I am thrilled that he will be joining our

office.

Additionally, Angelina Yu will be going on maternity leave in February. Our intern,

Nicholas Persky, will continue on our team; please don’t hesitate to reach out to

any of us:

• Sandra Lee Fewer: (415) 554-7410, Sandra.Fewer@sfgov.org;

• Angelina Yu: (415) 554-7411, Angelina.Yu@sfgov.org;

• Chelsea Boilard: (415) 554-7413, Chelsea.Boilard@sfgov.org;

• Ian Fregosi: (415) 554-7412, Ian.Fregosi@sfgov.org.

Our office hours are Saturday, Jan. 6, 10 a.m.-noon., at the Park Presidio United

Methodist Church, 4301 Geary Blvd. Please stop by and say hello.

In Memory:

San Francisco lost a civil rights champion and dedicated civil servant in December. The

passing of Mayor Edwin M. Lee, San Francisco’s first Chinese- American mayor, is an

enormous loss for our City. It has been a pleasure to get to know him during the past

year; he and I both came from hard-working, low-income Chinese-American families

and we both lost our fathers at a young age. Mayor Lee was a humble and tireless public

servant and it has been an honor to work with him during my first year in office. He will

be greatly missed and my heart goes out to his wife and daughters during this time.

Moving forward, we at City Hall will be working hard to continue the important work of

serving the City, and I look forward to beginning a new year with you all.

Sandra Lee Fewer is a San Francisco supervisor representing District 1.